This is an interesting discussion from 14 years ago. The OP asked what mulch is ”better” for roses - which mulch ”roses would prefer”, but then she shifted focus to which mulch ”looks best”. Which brings to mind https://youtu.be/ltj8C2SJv94 But the most valuable part of this discussion was the comment and question from Rose Forum member ceterum, whose profile shows no activity in over a decade. I hope he is well and still with us. His question was never addressed in any subsequent comment. Here is what he wrote wrote: “Let me ask you about compost as mulch. It has been bagging me for year but never dared to ask. I use mulch partly to conserve moisture when it needed like last summer, and dress up the bed, so to speak. Further reason is to suppress weeds since weeds are a constant battle and a continuous gardening chore. I would imagine that compost being very good and rich soil would promote weeds instead of suppressing them. So when I use compost to rejuvenate the soil, I use mulch, cypress, cedar or hardwood lately to cover the compost and not to provide an ideal environment for weeds to germinate or get hold. So, if I am mistaken, where and how I make a mistake in my assumption? As I see it, it is easier to pick them up from a cedar, cypress, and pine bark or hardwood mulch as to get rid of them if they grow in a good soil/compost. How do you deal with weeds if you use good quality compost as mulch? Or, how do you avoid them? IMHO weeds are not fussy, they grow id the soil is dry and they grow if the soil is wet. With a severe arthritis and spinal problems weeding is one of the problems I try to minimize instead of promoting.”

I am wondering if the reason they do not want you to use pine needles is that they want the rose to develop for a couple of years. @Strawchicago has posted that rose roots change over time. Baby or first year roses need something different then older more mature plants. I know that Rose Unlimited also recommends a different feeding plan for first year roses then the more mature bushes.... hopefully someone in the more know can answer why Heirloom might say this.... Also I wonder if all pine straw is the same... Much of the pine straw in Florida is from the Australian pine tree. It is now consider and invasive plant and people can't plant it, but the needles can be up to two feet long... I have a norfolk pine tree that has kind of branch(ie) needle about a half foot long with tiny needles less then 1/4 inch off the main needle. and of course the scotch pine and fraiser fir trees loose their needles at Christmas, and their needles are totally different.... I wonder what the nutrient differences are in all of them.

Well, I recently have been reading advice to clear a space around the trunk of a woody plant, leaving an un-mulched area. Maybe that's to encourage certain soil microbes which feed the plant. But maybe that's also to create a 'well', into which precipitation can drain. Supposedly, it's also to "allow Oxygen in". But DH, a says that Oxygen is rather difficult to keep out. He says that prevention of Carbon Dioxide buildup is (slightly) more likely. (He's the Scientist: I'm the Economist...) When we were in Oregon, we had access to so much 'Designer Compost' (and gardeners with advanced degrees), that we just top-dressed with compost. Now that we're back in Mississippi (where mulch breaks down rather quickly), we're back to mulching to ridiculous depths. A foot seems about right, to me. But then, I'm a little Napoleon who has the builder's crews here today, turning this home's undersized Dining Room into the Butler's Pantry, and the big ol' redneck "Den" into a dining room big enough for a three-chandelier table. I make my own mulch. It's free. So, of course, I'm going to use a lot of it. But balancing the Water Intake Issue is the Insulation Issue. In a place like Mississippi, where summer heat ranges between 'horrible' and 'deadly', and the December-April cold snaps (invariably following weeks of balmy weather) are no joy either, the plants like having that blanket, for most of the year. Now that 'Raspberry Crazy Ants' are a possibility, though, I may be rethinking mulch. Frankly, one good episode with the Crazy Ants eating something expensive and electronic (should they show up, this far from the Coast), and I may be calling the realtor, and heading back to Oregon. Anyone have experience with the 'Crazy Ants' using the mulch as a moist place to live? In any event, I've always mulched deeply, and have had really good results - particularly considering that I dig small holes for planting (Like I'm gonna pay for more topsoil than I have to?), and am stingy with the water and fertilizer.

It is interesting to me how much rose culture can vary in different climates. What works here in the deep south would be a poor cultural practice for where Straw lives. This what makes an open forum like this so great, you don't have to rely on the wisdom of a single individual but can get collective global wisdom. Also the people who frequent this forum actually grow roses and are kind enough to share their experiences. I can't recall ever seen a healthy garden in Florida without some kind of mulch being used. Where I live, the favorite is pine bark and I have seen many health roses gardens growing with a pine bark mulch. Here in my hot humid climate, without some sort of mulch, the organics are burned out of the soil. Before the use of chemical fertilizers, farmers who wanted to use the same plot of land over and over had to replenish the organic materials in the soil. This was done through cover crops and mulching. Now farmers try to maintain growth of crops through the use of chemical fertilizers and irrigation without trying to maintain the organics in the soil. As the organics disappear from the soil, so does the nutrition and water holding capacity. This is a big difference between wood mulch and bark muIch. Pine bark takes many years to breakdown and is a good mulch for gardeners who already have plenty of organics in their soil and can afford the cost. I use wood chips (and now peanut hulls) because they breakdown and provide a composted organic layer for my garden. In a new garden, when wood chips are first applied, I see a period when the nitrogen is in short supply and I have to feed nitrogen to my plants. By the second year, I don't need to water nearly as much and I don't need to fertilize. I am trying to mimic the forest floor where organic materials is constantly being renewed by falling debris. No one needs to water or fertilize the forest. In the old days in Florida, newly cleared land was called "virgin land" and was known as the very best for growing. I am also trying to create a diverse population of micro organisms in my soil. Many fungi and bacteria compete with each other. Certain type of fungus feed on nematodes, so nematode damage is not a problem in my garden. I have been very influenced in my gardening approach by Ruth Stout and her success with heavy mulch.. I would really like to hear other's experiences with mulch.